Citation

Tillman KH, Weiss UK. Soc. Sci. Q. 2009; 90(5): 1228-1250.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Southwestern Social Science Association and the University of Texas, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00655.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Objective. This article documents nativity differentials in depressive symptoms among Hispanics during their initial years of adulthood and explores how ethnicity, sociodemographic characteristics, and exposure to stressful life events and changes in social roles help explain those differentials.

Methods. Data are drawn from a large‐scale two‐wave community study of stress, psychiatric well‐being, and substance use disorders among young adults. Our analytic sample includes 553 Hispanic respondents and we employ multivariate regression techniques.

Results. Regardless of age at immigration, foreign‐born women experience greater declines in depressive symptoms than native‐born women during early adulthood. This advantage is explained by differences in perceptions of discrimination, family‐based stress, and social role changes. The association between nativity and depressive symptoms is not conditioned by ethnicity, but ethnicity does condition the association between stressful events and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions. The findings suggest that mental health treatment and prevention efforts should focus more heavily on stress exposure.